I am interested to see Iain Dale speculating about who will fill the managers chair come the end of the season. Alladyce’s contract comes to an end and apparently there will be no discussions until Premiership survival is ensured. So that would be about late April then.

It seems that some within the club who want to see a manager who favours a more free flowing (i.e. less dull punt the ball up the pitch to the big guy) style of soccer. And as such the names in the frame are ‘arry Rednapp and (my choice) Paulo di Canio. The former could deliver and has West Ham in his blood. But he did go to Spurs. And with him there are always …other questions. I’d hope the club moves forward.

Paulo is doing a great job at Swindon. Swindon will, I am sure, be promoted at the end of the season and are doing better in the Capital One Cup than, er…West Ham. I.e. they were not knocked out and thrashed by a piss poor Wigan second team for an early exit. Paulo is also a West Ham man. Okay there are those Mussolini issues but we are not choosing the next MP for the area but the next manager of the club. For now, I back Fat Sam. But come April, cometh the day, cometh the man.

Meanwhile tonight it is off to Loftus Road. QPR may only have two points so far but they are not useless (like Wigan were meant to be). They can score goals and our defence has, on occasion been so piss poor, that the QPR Ladies team should be able to find the net. Former hammer Bobby Zamora will start for QPR which should blunt their attack but sadly another old boy (Anton Ferdinand) is injured which will strengthen their defence. I guess Rob Green will not be starting in goal for Rangers which, I hate to say it, also works against us as he really does now seem like a man with the football equivalent of shell shock.

In terms of how West Ham line up. I am hoping that Matt Jarvis starts. Enough crosses from him and surely Carlton Cole will get his head on something. The other debate is Yossi versus Vaz Te. For me that is no debate, it is Yossi all the way. At some stage the Yossi/Jarvis combo with Cole up front will deliver goals. Our midfield is very solid. It is at the back that I now feel nervous for about 90 minutes a game.

This is a match West Ham could win (and doing so would see us 11/40ths of the way to safety). But frankly with our defence I now regard every game as a lottery. Five hours ahead of kick off I’d settle for a goalless draw. I doubt that will be the result.